Facebook deleted post with Afzal Guru cartoon, says Kashmiri artist

Facebook deleted the cartoon of December 2001 Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru posted on the third anniversary of his execution, Kahmir-based cartoonist Mir Suhail Qadiri said on Tuesday.

Afzal Guru was hanged on Feb. 9, 2013, in New Delhi's Tihar jail.

Qadiri posted the cartoon, showing Guru's grave and a signboard reading "Tihar Jail" on his Facebook timeline at around 10 a.m. on Tuesday. At around 11 a.m., he realised the post was removed, Hindustan Times reports. The cartoon was first published in Rising Kashmir, a newspaper in Jammu & Kashmir.

Qadiri said he received a message from Facebook, reading, "We removed something you posted." The message contained an image of his Guru post. He said the social media platform has blocked him from uploading new cartoons on his timeline.

"The incident shows how fragile freedom of expression is in India. I know that in a community many people don't like my cartoons, but things getting deleted is just not acceptable," Qadiri told HT.

"The cartoon basically showcases how emotionally Kashmiris are connected with the hanging of Afzal Guru. The roots of the trees represent veins. And it's not my opinion. See how Kashmir was today...a complete shutdown on the occasion of anniversary of Guru's hanging," Qadiri said.

The separatists called for a shutdown in Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday to observe Guru's death anniversary.

Meanwhile, Facebook said they remove posts supportive of terrorists or terrorist groups. "We remove any comments -- posted by anyone -- that praise or support terrorist groups or their actions," a Facebook spokesperson told HT.